New start-up carrier to serve Edinburgh

Varsity Express - a new regional full-service carrier - starts services on 1st March, offering weekday flights between London Oxford and Edinburgh.

A daily scheduled service (in both directions) will be offered using an 18-seat British Aerospace Jetstream 31 and the operator plans to add further domestic routes later this year.

Commercial director Will Gilligan says: “We have been looking to start a regular shuttle service on this sought after route for some time. Oxford is the third most visited English city by international visitors (10 million annually) and Edinburgh is the second most popular destination, after London, in the UK.”

“We have watched with interest the developments and investment at Oxford Airport and believe it is a perfect, untapped market with plenty of potential. We anticipate carrying 6,500 passengers in our first year, with 55% business and 45% leisure travellers."